Wednesday, 7 May 2014

Make some easy DIY abstract art....no artistic talent needed

....no artistic talent needed!

Following on from my last post about choosing some new artwork for our "new" bedroom (I have ordered some fantastic prints...yay!) I have been passing the time making some DIY art!

Today I want to share this super easy abstract artwork I made!

This really is such an easy make: Even if you have no artistic skills, YOU can make this!

And this project doesn't need much in terms of supplies, either!

You will need:

A few sheets of Paper (I used some watercolour paper, which is nice, but not strictly necessary)

Paint palette (I actually used my daughters')

Brushes

Water

Ruler

Pencil

Scissors

Double sided tape

Copper flakes (or some foil from a sweet-wrapper/glitter or similar)

(glue stick)

The first thing to do, is some painting!

Don't worry...nothing fancy! You could even get the kids to do this for you....or how about using some of those scrawley doodles your toddler brings home from nursery??

But if you haven't got children, here's what to do:

Lay out a few sheets of paper and choose 2-3 colours (Keep to a few colours for best result!)you like...I chose shades of blue!

(I've said it before, and I'll say it again: The pro's of making your own artwork is that you can choose colours that will go with your décor...completely to your own taste!!)

You simply want to create 2-3 different effects on the paper...Long brush-strokes, swirly patterns, Criss cross, splatters, dabbing...even finger painting!!...use your imagination and let loose!!...don't be to precious...its more an expression of colour you are after!!

When you have created a few different patterns, leave to dry!

Next up We are going to make some glimmering stickers to add another dimension to the finished artwork!

I used some copper-flakes that I brushed on to one side of a little strip of double sided tape...creating a shimmery copper sticker!

You can of course use gold or silver leaf, if you prefer. Or glitter... Or if you don't fancy a trip to the craft shop, simply use a foil wrapper from a chocolate bar, and stick that onto some double sided tape!!

Put your shimmery sticker to the side for the moment!

Next up, decide on a shape for your art:

I chose to do a simple triangle shape!

Use a plain piece of paper and draw up your shape!

I cut out the triangle, then divided it up, like a puzzle, then cut it into pieces!

(It would help to mark off how the pieces will go back together at this stage)

Lay the "puzzle" pieces on top of your painted paper, a different expression of the paint for each piece!

Draw around the pieces...

...and cut out from the painted paper!

On a plain piece of paper, reassemble the shape, using the painted "puzzle" pieces...

Stick down (Use glue or more double sided tape...)

See how the different paint expressions now comes together to create a cool abstract mosaic effect...

Grab your shimmery sticker you made earlier, cut it up into little triangles, squares or diamond shapes...

Play around with the positioning, dotting them around your artwork, before peeling off the backing and sticking down in place...

There you have it: DIY abstract artwork....anyone could do!!

Now you just have to frame it!!

I spay painted an old frame in copper to go with the artwork, then added a black mount to make it really stand out in the frame!!